When girls versus boys play alone: Nonsocial play and adjustment in kindergarten.

The goal of the present study was to examine the relations between different forms of children's nonsocial play behaviors and adjustment in kindergarten. The participants in this study were 77 kindergarten children (38 boys, 39 girls; mean age?=?66.16 months, SD?=?4.11 months). Mothers completed ratings of child shyness and emotion dysregulation. Children's nonsocial play behaviors (reticent, solitary-passive, solitary-active) were observed during free play. In addition, teachers rated child behavior problems (internalizing and externalizing) and social competence; academic achievement was assessed through child interviews. Results from regression analyses revealed that different types of nonsocial play were differentially associated with child characteristics and indices of adjustment. For some forms of nonsocial play, the nature of these associations differed significantly for boys and girls. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Developmental influences on interpersonal stress generation in depressed youth.

This research tested the hypothesis that the transition through adolescence, particularly undergoing puberty early relative to one's peers, would amplify the effect of depression on the subsequent generation of interpersonal stress. This hypothesis was examined in 158 youth (M age = 12.39 years, SD = 1.21) using semistructured interviews of depression and life stress. Three indexes of development--chronological age, pubertal status, and pubertal timing--were examined as possible moderators of the stress-generation effect. As anticipated, depression predicted interpersonal stress generation in early-maturing but not late-maturing youth. These findings provide an important developmental context for theory and research on stress generation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Motivational patterns in the families of adjusted and maladjusted boys.

20 maladjusted and 20 carefully matched adjusted boys and their parents were administered TATs and interviewed. Objective measures of achievement, affiliation, power, aggression, and experience balance were obtained from the TATs. The 2 groups of families differed less, motivationally, than expected on the basis of the clinical literature. Paternal aggression and maternal extratensiveness in the maladjusted group did suggest some parental conflict. The maladjusted boys perceived their mothers as distant and subtly controlling. There was no evidence of a positive relation between motivational measures in members of the same family. There was an inverse relation between the maladjusted boy and his parents, particularly the mother. (17 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in the perception of interpersonal relationships in successfully treated adolescent delinquent boys.

Successful psychotherapy with adolescent delinquent boys revealed significant improvement in the perception of interpersonal relationships on thematic stories to pictures selected to measure 3 areas of personality functioning (self-image, control of aggression, and attitude toward authority). People in the stories were seen as having more highly differentiated roles and relationships. These changes were highly correlated with improved academic performance (revealed on achievement tests) and improvement in overt behavior (reduction in antisocial behavior and better employment history). The results are consistent with many views regarding the nature of personality change in psychotherapy and strongly indicate that improvement in the perception of interpersonal relationships is associated with higher levels of overall performance and integration. Exactly how these changes are brought about during psychotherapy still remains to be explored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Parent-child physical play with rejected, neglected, and popular boys.

This study compares the parent–child interactions of rejected, neglected, and popular boys in a paradigm emphasizing physical play. Twelve boys, 3 to 5 years of age, of each sociometric category were recruited from nursery schools and observed in interactions with their parents at home. It was found that the fathers of neglected boys engaged in less affectively arousing, physical play than the fathers of popular and rejected boys. In addition, there was more overstimulation and avoidance of stimulation among the rejected boys compared with the popular boys. The results indicate the importance of the regulation of affect for social competence and illustrate strong links between the parent and peer social systems. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in interpersonal distances and categories of play behavior in the early weeks of preschool.

Observations of 57 children were made using time lapse and moving film techniques in a preschool over a 10-wk period. Ss attended 5, 3, or 2 days/wk. Behavior was recorded in 5 categories: aggressive behavior, rough and tumble behavior, distance from the nearest child, distance from the teacher, and frequency of close proximity; a 6th category, play behavior, was related to the potential for social interaction in preschool play. Behavior was related to measures of attendance at preschool, preschool group, age, and sex via multiple regression analyses. Scores on all measures of social interaction except aggressive behavior increased with preschool experience. The 3 preschool groups showed different degrees of change, and this was directly related to the number of days of attendance at preschool. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social modeling influences on psychophysical judgments of electrical stimulation.

Examined the psychophysical power functions describing the relation between subjective judgments and electric shock intensity in 30 college women exposed to social modeling influence procedures. Models simulated different levels of discomfort and pain susceptibility, ostensibly in response to the same shocks Ss were receiving. Ss observing a tolerant model accepted substantially greater shocks and on several measures reported no greater discomfort than those exposed to an intolerant model. A control group paired with an inactive observer was intermediate to these groups. The scale unit of power functions derived from regressions on logs and the mean range-estimated power function exponent were significantly smaller for the tolerant model group than for the other 2 groups. Changes in psychophysical parameters as a result of social modeling influence are interpreted as providing quantitative information on the contributions of central processing systems to the experience of pain. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Pair counseling: The effects of a dyadic developmental play therapy on interpersonal understanding and externalizing behaviors.

Play therapy has long viewed the promotion of development as a central goal, and the integration of developmental principles into play therapy also has a long history. Pair counseling is a structured form of dyadic play therapy in which two children's play interactions are guided developmentally by the counselor toward greater social maturity. The current pilot study examined the effects of pair counseling with 20 hospitalized children (9 males & 11 females). The boys ranged in age from 8-12 yrs, and the girls from 9-17 yrs. Results demonstrated that reductions in problem behaviors following pair counseling were greatest for behaviorally disordered children and that the effects of pair counseling on reductions in delinquent behaviors were partially mediated by changes in interpersonal understanding. The results suggest pair counseling is a particularly appropriate play therapy modality for aggressive, delinquent, and externalizing children. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Genetic and environmental influences on interpersonal cognitions and associations with depressive symptoms in 8-year-old twins.

Less is known about depression in children than in adults. This study integrates fields by combining cognitive and interpersonal research investigating childhood depression symptoms through the use of a genetic framework. Three research questions are addressed. First, what are the associations among interpersonal cognitions, anxiety, and depression? Second, what are the relative magnitudes of genetic and environmental influences on interpersonal cognitions? Third, to what extent do genetic and environmental influences explain associations between interpersonal cognitions and depression? Three hundred pairs of 8-year-old twins reported on symptoms of depression and anxiety by completing the Children's Depression Inventory and the Screen for Childhood Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders. The authors examined interpersonal cognitions with the Children's Expectation of Social Behaviors and the Perceptions of Peers and Self Questionnaires. Interpersonal cognitions were more strongly correlated with depression (mean r = .35) than with anxiety (mean r = .13). Genetic influence on interpersonal cognitions was small (M = 3%), and associations between interpersonal cognitions and depression were mainly explained by environmental influences. These latter findings may result from interpersonal cognitions in young children, reflecting life experiences as opposed to trait-like cognitive biases. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The reliability and validity of a measure of self-understanding of interpersonal patterns.

Change in self-understanding of maladaptive interpersonal patterns has been an important mechanism of symptom change in theories of dynamic psychotherapy and has been specified as an important treatment outcome by psychotherapy clients. The current investigation evaluated the reliability and validity of a new self-report measure of Self-Understanding of Interpersonal Patterns (SUIP). The measure was administered to 3 clinical samples and a student sample. The measure demonstrated good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and discriminant validity. The SUIP further demonstrated convergent validity with measures of analytical and self-improving personality traits in a clinical sample. Finally, there was significantly greater change in self-understanding in a dynamic psychotherapy as compared with a medication treatment condition, despite comparable symptom change across both treatment conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Latent curve modeling of internalizing behaviors and interpersonal skills through elementary school.

The trajectories of internalizing and interpersonal behaviors from kindergarten through fifth grade were studied using univariate and bivariate latent curve models. Internalizing behaviors demonstrated a small, yet statistically significant, linear increase over time, while interpersonal behaviors showed a small, yet statistically significant, linear decrease. There were individual differences in trajectories, and predictor variables accounted for some of this variation. In kindergarten, girls had more interpersonal behaviors than did boys. Children from higher SES families or with higher initial levels of externalizing behaviors had more internalizing behaviors and fewer interpersonal skills. One key finding from this study was that interpersonal and internalizing trajectories demonstrated a strong association. Increasing internalizing slopes were associated with decreasing interpersonal slopes. Establishing this empirical relation is necessary for understanding the developmental trajectory of these related behaviors, as well as important individual differences over time. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social modeling influences on sensory decision theory and psychophysiological indexes of pain.

Ss exposed to social models dissimulating tolerance or intolerance generally exhibit matching behavior in their verbal ratings of painful stimulation. It has been unclear, however, whether these changes reflect voluntary alteration of evidence or genuine changes in distress. The present study examined nonpalmar skin potential in addition to palmar skin conductance and heart rate (HR) indexes of psychophysiological response to electric shock and evaluated verbal expressions of pain with sensory decision theory methodology. Of 20 female undergraduate volunteers, 10 served as controls, and 10 were exposed to a tolerant female model. Both the S and the model verbalized ratings of discomfort provoked by a series of electric shocks of increasing intensity. Ss then underwent a series of preselected random shocks. Sensory decision theory analyses revealed lower discriminability of the shocks among Ss exposed to a tolerant model. Several indexes of nonpalmar skin potential and HR reactivity exhibited lower reactivity in the tolerant group. Tolerant modeling was also associated with decreases in subjective stess. The results are consistent with the position that changes in pain indexes associated with exposure to a tolerant model represent variations in fundamental characteristics of painful experiences as opposed to suppression of information. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Evaluating the circumplexity of interpersonal traits and the manifestation of interpersonal traits in interpersonal trust.

Two studies assessed the goodness of fit of ideal, quasi-, and noncircumplex models of interpersonal traits. Study 1 (N?=?132) represents a secondary data analysis using J.S. Wiggins's (1979) original Interpersonal Adjectives Scales (IAS) and reported by J.S. Wiggins, J.H. Steiger, and L. Gaelick (1981). Study 2 (N?=?401) represents a primary data analysis using Wiggins's revised IAS (J.S. Wiggins, P. Trapnell, & N. Phillips, 1988). Results of both studies indicated that a quasi-circumplex model provided a better fit to the correlational data than did either ideal or noncircumplex models. Also, in Study 2, results for a subsample (n?=?113) indicated that an ideal circumplex model yielded a significant positive path coefficient from Nurturance to interpersonal trust (J.K. Rempel, J.G. Holmes, & M.P. Zanna, 1985) but not from Dominance to interpersonal trust, whereas a quasi-circumplex model yielded significant positive paths from both Dominance and Nurturance to interpersonal trust. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Transmission of patterns of self-reinforcement through modeling.

In a test of the hypothesis that patterns of self-reinforcement are acquired imitatively, 1 group of children observed either peer or adult models who adopted a high criterion for self-reinforcement, a 2nd group was exposed to models who exhibited a similar pattern of self-reward and self-disapproval, except they adopted a relatively low criterion, while children in a control group observed no models. A post-exposure test revealed that the children's patterns and magnitude of self-reinforcement closely matched those of the model to whom they had been exposed. Adults generally served as more powerful modeling stimuli than peers in transmitting self-reinforcing responses. (18 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Talking about interpersonal violence: Cultural influences on Latinas' identification and disclosure of sexual assault and intimate partner violence.

Low rates of disclosure among Latina survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence may be related to cultural influences that stigmatize disclosure and make identifying instances of sexual assault and intimate partner violence difficult. In an effort to add to existing literature, the current study conducted a series of 10 focus groups with Spanish-speaking Latinas of varying educational, immigration, and generational statuses to identify the range of cultural influences that affect Latinas' ability to identify and disclose instances of sexual assault and intimate partner violence. Results suggested that gender role ideologies, traditional beliefs about marriage, familism, taboos against talking about sex, respect for authority, lack of community resources, and fear of violence operate in different ways to obscure and justify acts of sexual assault and intimate partner violence and to maintain silence when such acts do occur. Yet, most participants also felt that other people, particularly Latinos living abroad and the older generation of Latinas living in the United States, held far more conservative and traditional beliefs than the participants themselves did, suggesting that important differences exist in both the acceptance of cultural beliefs and the mechanisms through which these beliefs affect Latinas' ability to identify and disclose instances of sexual assault and intimate partner violence. Implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Individual-group behavioral similarity and peer status in experimental play groups of boys: The social misfit revisited.

This study evaluated individual–group similarity and dissimilarity hypotheses generally stipulating that the behavioral correlates of status are moderated by the peer group context in which they are displayed. Thirty play groups of 5 or 6 unacquainted same-age boys participated in five 45-min sessions. Five behaviors described group and individual characteristics: reactive aggression, proactive aggression, solitary play, rough-and-tumble play, and positive interactive behavior. Individual social preference scores were computed following a variant of the J. D. Coie and K. A. Dodge (1983) procedure. The behavioral correlates of emerging peer status were examined as a function of the group's behavioral norms. Evidence of a dissimilarity effect was found for solitary play and reactive aggression whereas positive interactive behavior followed a rule of similarity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Depressive symptoms and cigarette smoking among middle adolescents: Prospective associations and intrapersonal and interpersonal influences.

Using data from a 4-wave longitudinal study with a school-based sample of 1,218 middle adolescents, the authors investigated the directionality (e.g., unidirectionality and bidirectionality) of the prospective relationship between depressive symptoms and cigarette use within the context of potential confounding variables and common and unique intrapersonal and interpersonal predictors. Findings indicated that serious and persistent depressive symptoms were prospective predictors of increased cigarette use across time, after controlling for baseline levels of smoking. Similarly. heavy and persistent smoking prospectively predicted increases in depressive symptoms. Intrapersonal and interpersonal predictors of crosstemporal changes in depressive symptoms and cigarette use were more unique than common. Latent growth curve modeling indicated a quadratic trend in adolescent cigarette smoking across time with an initial acceleration followed by a deceleration, though there was substantial intraindividual variation in individual trajectories. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Environmental enhancement of prosocial television content: Effects on interpersonal behavior, imaginative play, and self-regulation in a natural setting.

Investigated whether (a) prosocial TV can affect the behavior of urban poor children and (b) environmental supports that stimulate rehearsal and labeling of TV content are effective in a field setting. The social, imaginative, and self-regulatory behavior of 141 children aged 2 yrs 4 mo–5 yrs 4 mo in Head Start centers was observed before and during 1 of the following 4 experimental treatments: (a) neutral films, (b) prosocial TV only, (c) prosocial TV plus related play materials, and (d) prosocial TV plus related materials plus teacher training for rehearsal using verbal labeling and role playing. Ss in each condition saw 20 films in 8 wks. Prosocial TV alone produced few behavioral differencs from the control group. When classrooms were otherwise comparable, Ss receiving TV plus related materials had high levels of positive social interaction with peers and adults, of imaginative play, and of assertiveness and aggression. Those whose teachers were trained as well showed high levels of positive social interaction with peers, imaginative play, and assertiveness, but did not increase in aggression. Self-regulatory behavior was unaffected. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sociometric choice patterns in hospital ward groups with varying degrees of interpersonal disturbances.

"Selected aspects of the sociometric choice process were analyzed for their hypothesized relationship to certain expressions of inter-personal disturbances. Patients on five hospital wards representing an inter-personal disturbance continuum were given a sociometric test containing positive, negative, and relatively objective criteria… . Those aspects of sociometric responses analyzed were reciprocations, intercriteria overlap, and acceptability score patterns." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)